The use of wireless communication systems through which to communicate telephonically has become an endemic part of modern society. As wireline connections are not required to effectuate telephonic communications in a wireless communication system, communication by way of the wireless communication system is possible when formation of a wireline connection of a conventional, wireline communication system would be inconvenient or unfeasible. A cellular communication system, for instance, is exemplary of a wireless communication system. Cellular communication networks, forming the fixed infrastructure of cellular communication systems, have been installed throughout significant portions of the world. The fixed infrastructure of the cellular communication networks include fixed-site radio transceivers, referred to as base transceiver stations, capable of effectuating radio communications with mobile stations positioned in the vicinities thereof.
A user of a mobile station is permitted access to a cellular communication network to communicate therethrough by way of a service subscription. That is to say, a subscriber subscribes to service in a cellular communication system to permit the user to utilize the mobile station to communicate by way of a cellular communication network. Early implementations of cellular communication system utilized analog communication techniques. Advancements in digital communication techniques, as well as electronic circuitry through which to implement the digital communication techniques, has permitted successor-generations of cellular communication systems to utilize digital communication techniques. Generally, when digital communication techniques are utilized, data that is to be communicated is digitized, and sometimes also formatted, such as into data packets (the digital communication is not necessarily only formatted into packet data) pursuant to a formatting protocol. The digital data, or data packets formed thereof, can be communicated at discrete intervals during a communication session. Processing circuitry is utilized to act upon the data, prior to its transmission and also subsequent to its reception.
Various different types of digital cellular communication systems have been proposed and implemented. Existing digital communication systems are generally categorized by the access scheme pursuant to which they are operable. Two types of separate, and sometimes competing, communication schemes have achieved significant levels of implementation and usage. A first of such systems utilizes time-division, multiple-access techniques, and a second of such systems utilizes code-division, multiple-access techniques.
In a time-division, multiple-access communication technique, communication channels are defined by unique spreading codes by which digital data is encoded prior to its communication upon a frequency bandwidth.
Successor-generation, cellular communication systems are under development, intended to permit communication access of mobile stations independent of their technology-type of implementation. One successor-generation, communication system that utilizes code-division techniques is referred to as a cdma2000 system. And, another successor-generation, communication system is referred to as a 3GPP system. Packet radio communications are provided in the 3GPP system pursuant to a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). GPRS can be used for both code division (UMTS) and time division (GERAN).
A 3GPP R00 PS R5 architecture set forth pursuant to the 3GPP communication system that utilizes GPRS provides for communication capabilities that permit effectuation of multimedia communication services. The multimedia services utilize IP (Internet Protocol)-formatted data, and the GPRS forms the transport layer by which to transport the IP-formatted data to effectuate the communication service. Corresponding functionality for a cdma2000 system does not presently appear to be capable of effectuating the same data-rich communication services.
As third-generation communication systems are being developed to permit separate access networks to be connected to a common core network, access networks instructed to be operable pursuant to different communication standards, such as the aforementioned cdma2000 and 3GPP/GPRS architectures, a possibility exists for interworking functionalities between the separate access networks operable pursuant to separate communication standards. If an interworking functionality were provided, the already-proven operability of GPRS in a 3GPP architecture could be utilized to facilitate the effectuation of a packet-based communication service in an access network that utilizes a cdma2000 communication scheme.
Such an interworking functionality would need to be capable of interfacing with both types of networks. And, preferably, changes to existing signaling set forth in the signaling protocols associated with the respective networks would be minimal.
An interworking functionality would therefore advantageously facilitate effectuation of communication services in a third-generation, packet-radio communication system.
It is in light of this background information related to packet radio communications that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.